Self-contained portable film developing apparatus



Get 26, 1948. N OCLAIR 2.452 389 SELF-CONTAINED PORTABLE FILM DEVELOPING APPARATUS Filed Feb. 21, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 a Z Z2. 2.5 2;

IF /I Vz- .4? 37 I I .W i7 1 i E 33/ 5 2a 5 i V A 28 a9 28 Inventor 4 Novman W. .Q Qlaw' Oct. 26, 1948. N. w. OCLAIR 29 3 I SELF-CONTAINED PORTABLE FILM DEVELOPING APPARATUS Filed Feb. 21, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventor Nov-man \N. OC lair Patented Oct. 26, 1948 UN IT ED SELF-CONTAINED PORTABLE FILM: DEVELOPING APPARATUS Norman W. OClair, Somerville, Mass.

Application February 21, 1946, Serial No. 649,273

10 Claims. 1.

This invention relates to filmdeveloping apparatus and it has for one of itsobjects to provide a seli contained portable film developing apparatus which is simple inconstruction and inexpensive to manufacture, and by means of which films can be developed and fixed without removing them fromthe apparatus;

The device comprises a portable light-tight unit having abody'section'provided with a plurality o-fcompartments to receive the different solutions usually usedin developing films, and also provided with a circular rim section, said unit further including a cover section which fits the rim ofthe body section with a light-tight joint and which is provided with a downwardly opening film-receiving chamber which can be brought into register with the various compartments by mining the cover on the-rim. The device further includes-a film holder for supporting films in the film-receiving chamber of the cover, together' with means operable from the outside of the cover forlowering'the film holder into any compartment ofthe body section with which the film-receiving chamber is in register.

Assuming that the body section has three compartments, one of which contains the'developing solution, another of which contains the short-- stop solution, and the third of which contains a hypo or fixing bath, and that films to be developed have been loaded into the film carrier, which is located in the film-receiving chamber of the cover, the device is usedby turning the cover on the rim of the body section so as to bring the filmreceiving chamber into register with the com-' partment containing the developing solution, after which the film supportis lowered into the said compartment thereby toimmerse the films in the developing solution. When'the films have been subjected to the action of I the developer for a sufficientlength of time, the film carrier is raised into the filmereceiving chamber and the cover is again turned on the rim to bring the:film-receiv ing chamber into register with the compartment containin theshort-stop solution, afterwhich the said carrier with'the films therein is immersed in said compartment thereby to arrest any further action .of the developing solution.

After the film-carrier has been again raised,

into the film-receiving chamber of the cover, the latter is turnedagain to bringsaid chamber into register with' the. compartment containing the hypo. solution, after which the film carrier is again lowered into said compartment so as to im.- merse the film in said solution,

Allv these operations are carried out successively within the light-tight unit, and after the filmshave been treated to the hypo solution, the coverm-ay beremoved and the devoloped'films sub-- jected'to the usual washing operation.

In orderto give an understanding of my inven tion, I have illustratedin the drawings a selected embodiment thereof which will now be described.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a vertical section through a film developing apparatus embodying my invention, said section being an enlarged section taken on the line l-l, Fig. 3.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional View through the film carrier.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the body section with the cover removed.

Fig, 4 is a perspective view of the cover section.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view showing means for positioning the cover for various operations, and locking the cover in its adjusted position.-

Fig. 6 is a fragmentaryperspective view of the manually operated rod by which the film carrier is raised and lowered.

As stated above, the portable unit comprises a body section [which is formed with a plurality of compartments to receive different solutions used in developing films, three such compartments, 2, 3, and 4, being herein illustrated.

The compartment 2, for instance, may contain a developer solution, the compartment 3 may contain a short-stop solution, and the compartment lmay contain a hypo or fixing solution.

The body section I is also formed with a circular rim section 5, and the compartments 2, 3,

and 4 are arranged at equal distances from the center of said rim section.

The cover section is indicated generally at 6, and it is formediat its peripheral portion so as to fit the rim 50f the body section l' with a lighttight joint. As herein illustrated, the rim of the body section has two upstanding circular ribs 8 and 9 forming between them an annular groove, and the peripheral portion 1 of the cover is provided with a downwardly directed annular rib H] adapted to fit into-the groove between the ribs 8 and 9. of the. body section, and is also provided with a downwardly open groove II adapted to receive the rib 8. of the body section, thereby making the light-tight joint above referred to.

The cover section 6 is formed with a film-receiving-chamber l2.'which is open at the bottom but closed at the top and. sides. The cover section 6 is capable of turning on. the body sectionl about its center as an axis, and the film- 3 receiving chamber I2 is so located that during the turning movement of the cover section on the body section, said chamber I2 will be brought successively into register with the various compartments 2, 3, and 4.

I3 indicates a film carrier which is adapted to be received in the chamber I2 and to be immersed in each of the compartments 2, 3, and' 4. This film carrier may have any suitable or usual construction, and it may be one which is designed to receive a plurality of cut films or it may be in a form to receive a roll of film. The film carrier herein illustrated, however, is one designed to support cut films, and it is formed with two concentric walls I4, I5, forming between them an annular film-receiving space I6 which is open at the top and in which the cut films I! may be placed, said walls I4, I being provided with grooves I8 to receive the edges of the films. The inner wall I5 encircles a central opening I9, and constitutes a hollow hub member. 26 indicates a bar extending across the opening of said hub member. The film carrier is adapted to be supported and manipulated by a rod 2| which extends through the top 22 of the chamber l2 and is provided with a knob 23 on its outer end. This rod 2I has at its lower end a hook portion 24 which can be hooked onto or under the cross rod as shown in Fig. 2.

The lower end of the supporting rod 2| is screw threaded as shown at 25, and mounted on said screw threaded portion is a clamping nut 26.

2! indicates a circular plate or cover member which partially covers the annular chamber I6 within the film carrier.

The undeveloped films will be loaded into the film carrier I3 in a dark room, and said carrier is then attached to the supporting rod 2!, and the nut 25 is screwed down, thereby clamping the plate or cover 2! against the end of the film carrier and also clamping the hook 24 firmly against the bar 21]. When the nut 26 is tightened, the film carrier is clamped rigidly to the rod 2L The rod 2I then is raised to withdraw the carrier into the film receiving chamber I2 and the cover member with the undeveloped film in said chamber is then applied to the body section, the compartments 2, 3 and 4 having been previously supplied with the proper solutions.

As stated above, the loading of the films into the carrier, and the assembling of the top section with the base section, is done in a dark room, but after the unit has been closed then it may be removed from the dark room and the developing operations may be carried out in any location.

The operation of developing the film consists in first turning the cover section 6 on the body section I so as to bring the film-receiving chamber l2 into register with the compartment containing the developing solution, after which the operator depresses the knob 23 thereby lowering the film carrier I3 into the compartment 2 having the developer solution.

The film carrier I3 is provided with openings 28 so as to allow the developing solution to flow freely into the chamber I6 containing the films. and if desired, the operator may give the carrier I3 an up and down movement so as to produce a surging of the developer solution through the chamber I6.

When the developing has been continued for a sufficient length o; time, the operator raises the carrier I3 into the chamber I2 and then turns the cover section 6 to bring said chamber into register with the compartment 3 containing the short-stop solution. The film carrier I3 is then lowered into the compartment 3 so as to subject the films to the action of the short-stop solution, and the film carrier is then raised again into the chamber I2, and the cover section 6 is again turned to bring the said chamber I2 into register with the compartment 4 containing the hypo solution. The film carrier I 3 is then lowered into the hypo solution for fixing the films. When the fixing operation has been concluded, the film carrier may then be raised again into the chamber I2, and the cover section 6 may be taken off from the body section and the films removed therefrom and washed. The washing of the films may be accomplished either while they are in the carrier E3 or after they have been taken out of the carrier.

I have illustrated herein a simple means for indicating when the cover section 6 is in a position with the chamber I2 registering with any one of the compartments 2, 3, or 4, and also means for locking the cover section in its adjusted position during the manipulation of the film carrier i3.-

The cover section 6 is formed on its periphery with a plurality of positioning protuberances 29, there being one such protuberance for each compartment 2, 3, and 4. 30 indicates a stop member which is retained between two ribs 3| formed on the rim 5 of the body section, said stop member having at its upper end two inwardly directed fingers 32 adapted to embrace any one of the protuberances 29. The stop member 30 is also shown as having its lower end in-turned as shown at 33, and it is retained in position by a clamping screw 34 which extends through a slot 35 with which the stop member is provided, and which screws into the rim portion of the body section I.

When the stop member 30 is in its raised position shown in Fig. 5, the fingers 32 are above the protuberances 29, and the cover section 6 will be free to be turned on the rim portion 5 of the body section. When the cover section has been turned to bring a protuberance 29 into register with the stop element 30, the film-receiving chamber I2 will then be registering with one of the compartments 2, 3, or 4, and each protuberance 29 may be provided with some special indication to indicate just which compartment is in register with the chamber I2 when said protuberance is in register with the stop member 30. .After any protuberance has been brought into register with the stop member 30 as shown in Fig. 5, then the latter may be lowered so that the fingers 32 will embrace the corresponding protuberance 29, thereby locking the cover section in its adjusted position.

The cover section may be unlocked by merely pressing upwardly on the in-turned end 33 thereby to lift the fingers 32 above the protuberance 29.

The nut 26 is shown as made with a body portion All which enters the opening I9 in the hub I5 when said nut is tightened, and with a flange portion 4| to engage the cover element 21. The nut is also shown as provided with the recess 42. The rod 2| is provided with a longitudinal drain groove 43 to allow any liquid which accumulates in the chamber 42 to drain therefrom when the film carrier is raised into the chamber I claim:

1. A film developing apparatus comprising a 'rnember for the open upper end of the film receiving chamber, and a nut screw threaded to the rod, for both clamping the cover to the film carrier and locking the hook to said bar.

2, A film developing apparatus having a carrier formed with a center hollow hub portion and 'a film-receiving chamber surrounding said hub portion, which chamber is open at the top for. the introduction of films thereto and the removal of films therefrom, said carrier alsohaving a bar extending transversely across said hub portion, a carrier-supporting rod provided with a hook at its lower end to engage said bar, the portion of the rod above the hook beingscrew threaded, a cover member for the open top of the film-receiving chamber, and a nut on said screw threaded portion of the rod operative both to clamp the cover to the film carrier and to lock the hook to said bar.

3. A portable film developing apparatus comprising a body section having a plurality of opentopped compartments to receive difierent solutions and also having a circular rim portion, said compartments being equally spaced from the center of the rim portion, a circular cover section loosely resting on and removable from said rim portion and having a downwardly openin filmreceiving chamber situated the same radial distance from the center of the rim portion as said compartments, said cover section and rim por-- tion having annular inter-engaging surfaces concentric with said center and situated at a greater radial distance therefrom than the compartments and which provide a light-tight joint between said sections but which permits the cover section to be turned about said center while maintaining the light-tight characteristics of said joint, thereby to bring said film-receiving chamber into vertical alinement with any one of the compartments, and means carried by the cover section and operable from the exterior thereof to transfer films vertically from said chamber through its open bottom to a compartment with which it is vertically alined.

4. A portable film developing apparatus comprising a body section having a plurality of opentoppecl compartments to receive different solutions and also having a rim portion, said compartments being equally spaced from a point within said rim portion defined as the center thereof, a cover section loosely resting on and removable from said rim portion and having a film-receiving chamber situated the same radial distance from the center of the rim portion as said compartments, a film carrier in said chamher, the latter having an open bottom to permit the film carrier to be loaded into it through said open bottom, the said cover section and rim portion having annular inter-engaging surfaces concentric with said center and situated at a greater radial distance therefrom than said compartments and which provide a light-tight joint between said sections while permitting the cover section to be turned about said center on the said rim portion while maintaining the lighttight characteristics of said joint, thereby to bring said film-receiving chamber into vertical alinement with any one of the compartments, and means carried by the cover section and operable from the exterior thereof to move the film carrier vertically thereby to transfer films from the chamber to a compartment with which it is vertically alined.

5. A portable film developing apparatus comprising a body section having a plurality of compartments open at the top to receive diiferent solutions and also having a rim portion, said compartments being equally spaced from a point within said rim portion defined as the center thereof, a, removable cover section resting on said rim portion of the body section, said cover section being turnable on said rim portion about an axis which coincides with the center of the rim portion and having a downwardly opening film-receiving chamber situated at the same radial distance from said center of the rim portion as said compartments, said cover section and rim portion having cooperating annular guiding surfaces concentric with said center and situated exterior to said compartments and which guide the cover section in its turning movement and which constitute a light-tight joint between the cover section and said rim portion, whereby the cover section can be turned on the rim portion to said film-receiving chamb into vertical alinement with any one of the compartments while maintaining the light-tight characteristics of said light-tight joint, a film carrier in said chamber and means operable from the exterior of the cover section to move the film carrier vertically from said chamber through its open bottom to a compartment with which it is vertically lined.

6. A portable film developing apparatus comprising a body section having a rim portion and a plurality of compartments open at the top to receive different solutions, said compartments having a circular arrangement with all the compartments situated at the same distance from a common center, a cover section removably mounted on the body section and turnable thereon about an axis which coincides with said common center, said cover section having a downwardly opening film-receiving chamber which is situated the same distance from said common center as said compartments, whereby turning movement of said cover section about its axis will bring said chamber into vertical alinement with any one of the compartments, said cover section and body section having cooperating surfaces concentric with said common center and situated exterior to said compartments and which provide a light-tight joint therebetween in all relative positions thereof resulting from such turning movement of the cover section, and means carried by the cover section and operable from the exterior thereof to transfer films vertically from said chamber through its open bottom to a compartment with which it is vertically alined.

7. A portable film developing apparatus comprising a body section having a, plurality of compartments to receive different solutions and also having a, circular rim portion, said compartments being equally spaced from the center of the rim portion, a circular cover section removably supported on said rim portion and turnable thereon about said center, said cover section and rim portion having circular inter-engaging surfaces concentric with said center and having a greater radial distance therefrom than the compartments, which surfaces provide a light-tight joint that retains its light-tight characteristics during any turning movement of the cover section on the rim portion, said cover section having a downwardly opening film-receiving chamber which may be brought into register with any one of the compartments of the body section by such turning movement of the cover section, said cover section and rim portion having cooperating locking means to lock the cover section in an operative position with its film-receiving chamber in vertical alinement with any one of the compartments, and means operable from the exterior of the cover for transferring films from the filmreceiving chamber through its open bottom into the particular compartment with which it is alined.

8. A portable film developing apparatus comprising a body section having a rim portion and a plurality of compartments open at the top to receive different solutions, which compartments are spaced equally distant from a common center, a removable cover section resting on said rim portion and turnable thereon about an axis that coincides with the said common center, said cover section having a downwardly opening film-receiving chamber which is situated the same distance from said common center as the compartments, whereby turning movement of the cover section about its axis will bring said chamber into vertical alinement with any one of the compartments, said cover section and rim portion of the body section having annular interengaging surfaces concentric with said common center and located at a greater radial distance therefrom than said compartments, which surfaces provide a light-tight joint in all positions of the cover section during its turning movement, a film carrier within said chamber and provided with a stem which projects through the cover section and constitutes means exterior thereto to move the film carrier vertically from the chamber into a compartment with which it is,

alined, said stem maintaining the film carrier at the same radial distance from the center as the compartments.

9. A portable film developing apparatus comprising a body section having a rim portion and a plurality of compartments open at the top to receive different solutions, which compartments are spaced equally distant from a common center, a removable cover section resting on said rim portion and turnable thereon about an axis that coincides with the said common center, said cover section having a downwardly opening filmreceivin chamber which registers with the compartments as the cover section is turned on the rim portion, said cover section and rim portion having annular inter-engaging surfaces concentric with said center and situated at a greater radial distance therefrom than said compartbe moved vertically from the film-receiving chamber into the compartment with which it is vertically alined.

10. A self-contained portable film developing apparatus comprising a body section having a plurality of compartments open at the top to receive diiTerent solutions, which compartments are equally spaced from a common center, a removable cover section resting on the body portion and turnable thereon about an axis that coincides with said common center, said cover section having a downwardly-opening film-receiving chamber which is in communication with the compartments as the cover section is turned on the rim portion, means providing a light-tight joint between the cover section and the body section exterior to said compartments said means comprising an annular rib on one of the parts and an annular groove on the other part to receive the rib, said rib and groove being concentric with said common center and situated at a greater radial distance therefrom than said compartments, a film carrier Within the film-receiving chamber and provided with a stem which projects through the cover section and maintains said carrier at the same radial distance from said center as said compartments whereby turning movement of the cover section on the body section will bring the film carrier into vertical alinement with any one of the compartments, said stem constituting means exterior of the cover section by which the film carrier can be moved vertically from the film-receiving chamber into the compartment with which it is vertically alined.

NORMAN W. OCLAIR.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

